Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on my
wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has a
strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to harm
the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an unpleasant
appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
You guys are not helping!!! I have thought of all those Ideas and will
probably go with one of them, but I like the old kettle and know there has
to be some way to use it. How to use it may be lost knowledge, I have
thought of maybe copper plateing the inside, when I get the free time.
"Curran Copeland" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:aWM%[email protected]...
> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on my
> wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has a
> strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to
> harm the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an
> unpleasant appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
>
"Curran Copeland" wrote:
> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"?
I do.
> I use one on my wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the
> winter. It has a strong tendency to rust in side the kettle.
Total misapplication of a cast iron vessel.
> I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
Quit misapplying the product.
Go buy a copper bottom, stainless steel tea kettle, then throw in a few
marbles, fill with water and place on stove.
Marbles will keep deposits from forming in bottom of kettle.
Lew
"Curran Copeland" wrote:
> OK then what is a cast iron one gallon "tea kettle" supposed to be used
> for if not to heat water? I always thought that they were for heating
> water on a stove or fire.
I don't have a clue, all my C/I stuff is strictly for cooking.
If you want to try to use it as a vaporizer, put some marbles in the pot and
keep it filled with water.
The air is causing the rust.
Lew
"Curran Copeland" wrote:
>Any other Ideas that anyone can think of let me know, and Lew I will try
>the marbles and see if that helps any.
You can use marbles or pea gravel.
Any pot that is used as a humidifier, will form calcuim desposits in the
bottom of the pan as a residue formed by the evaporation process.
The marbles roll around the bottom an prevent the deposits from clinging to
the bottom of the pot.
My guess is to prevent the rust, you will not bel able to let the pot go
dry.
Lew
On 18 Nov 2007 07:42:14 GMT, Puckdropper <[email protected]> wrote:
>Look up electro-plating.
Awkward at the best of times, this is damn near impossible on cast-iron,
if you expect it to be rustproof afterwards, The problem is porosity
forming around the free carbon grains.
I'd suggest cheap stainless instead, because it's 2007 and every kitchen
has a spare pot or pan in it.
If you do use cast iron, just let the water saturate with iron and then
no more will rust. Add a touch of Fernox (central heating water
treatment) or else just let some rust and dissolve.
Doug Winterburn <[email protected]> wrote in
news:CzQ%[email protected]:
> Curran Copeland wrote:
>> OK then what is a cast iron one gallon "tea kettle" supposed to be
>> used for if not to heat water? I always thought that they were for
>> heating water on a stove or fire.
>>
> Humidifier to keep you from zapping yourself on doorknobs and the cat
> on those dry cold winter days.
>
Some days, you just have to pick the cat up to avoid zapping it.
Especially a long haired calico we have... ;-)
Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.
To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
"Curran Copeland" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:%iP%[email protected]:
> You guys are not helping!!! I have thought of all those Ideas and
> will probably go with one of them, but I like the old kettle and know
> there has to be some way to use it. How to use it may be lost
> knowledge, I have thought of maybe copper plateing the inside, when I
> get the free time.
Look up electro-plating. Perhaps that's what you need to do to the
inside. Since you like the look, try protecting the outside with wax.
When you put it on the stove again, the wax will evaporate off.
Just an idea.
Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.
To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
On Nov 17, 8:53 pm, "Curran Copeland" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on my
> wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has a
> strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to harm
> the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an unpleasant
> appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
Typically you season cast-iron with shortening, or just by cooking
fatty foods in it a lot. But if you're just going to be boiling water
over and over I think you're eventually going to get rust no matter
what. You want something that's not just plain old cast iron -
something porcelain, stainless steel or aluminum. Check llbean.com
for "stovetop steamer". They're specifically made for the task at
hand.
JP
On Nov 17, 7:53 pm, "Curran Copeland" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on my
> wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has a
> strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to harm
> the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an unpleasant
> appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
The Japanese have been using cast iron teapots called Tetsubins for
centuries. Cast iron is still the teapot of choice for the Japanese
tea-drinking purist. It seems that the small amount of iron
introduced into the water improves the flavor.
All the use and care instructions for Tetsubins I have seen warn to
empty the pot and dry thorougly after each use to avoid rust. They
specifically warn against leaving water standing in the pot. If there
were an easy way to avoid the problem, I'm sure they would have found
it by now.
DonkeyHody
"In theory, theory and practice are the same, but in practice they are
not."
Curran Copeland wrote:
> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on my
> wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has a
> strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to harm
> the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an unpleasant
> appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
>
>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrificial_anode
http://www.boatzincs.com/
http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pages/WHRpages/English/Longevity/water-heater-anodes.html
--
Ron Hock
HOCK TOOLS www.hocktools.com
> In actual usage, the kettle would have been dried between uses, not left
> w/ standing water, hence the rust would not have sufficient time to form.
> As you've noted, boiling water for sufficient time will remove the
> protective grease in the pores of a previously seasoned skillet or other
> cast iron utensil.
>
> The only real suggestion I would have if you want to try to use it as a
> continuous evaporator would be to use one of the zinc-converting
> treatments on the inside to minimize the rusting potential. Of course, I
> would then no longer even consider using it for cookware.
>
> --
I think using the tea kettle is basicaly a lost cause because of the rust.
I will try to coat the inside one of these days. I am not familiar with the
zinc process could you give more information? I agree that zink is not a
good for cookware.
OK then what is a cast iron one gallon "tea kettle" supposed to be used for
if not to heat water? I always thought that they were for heating water on a
stove or fire.
"Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Curran Copeland" wrote:
>
>> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"?
>
> I do.
>> I use one on my wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the
>> winter. It has a strong tendency to rust in side the kettle.
>
> Total misapplication of a cast iron vessel.
>
>
>> I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
>
> Quit misapplying the product.
>
> Go buy a copper bottom, stainless steel tea kettle, then throw in a few
> marbles, fill with water and place on stove.
>
> Marbles will keep deposits from forming in bottom of kettle.
>
>
> Lew
>
>
I use dutch ovens a lot and the way I season them is to fully coat all
surfaces with cooking oil then put it in the oven at about 500 degrees until
the oil has been "burned" into a patina on the metal. It is as good as
teflon. If you search dutch oven seasoning on the web, you can find more
detailed directions.
Roger
"Curran Copeland" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:aWM%[email protected]...
> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on my
> wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has a
> strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to
> harm the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an
> unpleasant appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
>
"Jay Pique" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> Typically you season cast-iron with shortening, or just by cooking
> fatty foods in it a lot. But if you're just going to be boiling water
> over and over I think you're eventually going to get rust no matter
> what. You want something that's not just plain old cast iron -
> something porcelain, stainless steel or aluminum. Check llbean.com
> for "stovetop steamer". They're specifically made for the task at
> hand.
Or a pot from the dollar store.
http://www.lodgemfg.com/usecare1.asp
Good luck.
Art
> On Nov 17, 8:53 pm, "Curran Copeland" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
> > Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on my
> > wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has a
> > strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to harm
> > the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an unpleasant
> > appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
>
"Han" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I don't quite understand what you want to do.
> Do you want to show off your nice cast iron "teakettle"? Then I think
> cleaning it, seasoning it, and keeping it nice and dry is you best bet -
> make it a "schatzke" (spelling?).
> Or do you want to humidify your room? In that case, there are real honest
> to goodness humidifiers for sale. The alternative to a machine is to get
> a
> shallow but large pan that can sit on a source of heat (radiator, stove,
> what have you). Ideally it should be made of terracotta or something like
> a pot for a plant (but then without a drainage hole!). A glass (Pyrex)
> baking dish can do also. Way, way back there were terracotta (or
> something
> like it) "tubes" that hung on a radiator, between the fins, and had to be
> kept full of water. Worked very well, but technology has progressed
> <grin>, and I can't really find them by googling.
>
> --
> Best regards
> Han
> email address is invalid
Maybe I wasn't clear on where it is. It sets in my shop on my shop
woodburning stove and is used to humidify the room. It is a conversation
piece to some minor degree but earns its keep as a humidifer. I also do
some cooking in the shop from time to time on the woodburning stove and
would like to get it where I can make a cup of hot tea from the water in the
kettle (just for the heck of it, I have a microwave in the shop that works
well for that). The rust doesn't hurt the function of the kettle but I
would like to get rid of it mainly because it shouldn't be there. I try to
keep all of my tool is working condition and the rust just doesn't seem
right.
I don't quite understand what you want to do.
Do you want to show off your nice cast iron "teakettle"? Then I think
cleaning it, seasoning it, and keeping it nice and dry is you best bet -
make it a "schatzke" (spelling?).
Or do you want to humidify your room? In that case, there are real honest
to goodness humidifiers for sale. The alternative to a machine is to get a
shallow but large pan that can sit on a source of heat (radiator, stove,
what have you). Ideally it should be made of terracotta or something like
a pot for a plant (but then without a drainage hole!). A glass (Pyrex)
baking dish can do also. Way, way back there were terracotta (or something
like it) "tubes" that hung on a radiator, between the fins, and had to be
kept full of water. Worked very well, but technology has progressed
<grin>, and I can't really find them by googling.
--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid
"Curran Copeland" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:U0Z%[email protected]:
>
> "Han" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>I don't quite understand what you want to do.
>> Do you want to show off your nice cast iron "teakettle"? Then I
>> think cleaning it, seasoning it, and keeping it nice and dry is you
>> best bet - make it a "schatzke" (spelling?).
>> Or do you want to humidify your room? In that case, there are real
>> honest to goodness humidifiers for sale. The alternative to a
>> machine is to get a
>> shallow but large pan that can sit on a source of heat (radiator,
>> stove, what have you). Ideally it should be made of terracotta or
>> something like a pot for a plant (but then without a drainage hole!).
>> A glass (Pyrex) baking dish can do also. Way, way back there were
>> terracotta (or something
>> like it) "tubes" that hung on a radiator, between the fins, and had
>> to be kept full of water. Worked very well, but technology has
>> progressed <grin>, and I can't really find them by googling.
>>
>> --
>> Best regards
>> Han
>> email address is invalid
>
> Maybe I wasn't clear on where it is. It sets in my shop on my shop
> woodburning stove and is used to humidify the room. It is a
> conversation piece to some minor degree but earns its keep as a
> humidifer. I also do some cooking in the shop from time to time on
> the woodburning stove and would like to get it where I can make a cup
> of hot tea from the water in the kettle (just for the heck of it, I
> have a microwave in the shop that works well for that). The rust
> doesn't hurt the function of the kettle but I would like to get rid of
> it mainly because it shouldn't be there. I try to keep all of my tool
> is working condition and the rust just doesn't seem right.
>
I would use an unglazed pottery dish for humidification, or a Pyrex one
if that is available (much easier to clean than poetry, but the effective
evaporating area is much smaller - pottery/terracotta "sweats".
Switch to the teakettle if you want to make tea, but otherwise keep the
cast iron dry.
All free advice guaranteed or triple your money back.
--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid
On Nov 17, 10:36 pm, "Curran Copeland" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> You guys are not helping!!! I have thought of all those Ideas and will
> probably go with one of them, but I like the old kettle and know there has
> to be some way to use it. How to use it may be lost knowledge, I have
> thought of maybe copper plateing the inside, when I get the free time."Curran Copeland"
If thats what your thinking
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/plugnplate.htm
They sell little home plating kits.
On Nov 19, 10:52 am, "Curran Copeland" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Thanks everyone for the answers, I think my best move will be to find the
> old enamel teapot I put up some where, put a few lose marbles in it, if I
> can find mine, and retire the cast iron one for the time being."Curran Copeland" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:aWM%[email protected]...
>
> > Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on my
> > wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has a
> > strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to
> > harm the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an
> > unpleasant appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
If you like the look of the cast iron tea kettle, you could always try
to find a stainless steel cylinder of an appropriate size that will
fit inside the mouth of the kettle, and just put the water in the
cylinder.
Granted it probably won't work so well as a water-pourer, but it
should maintain the aesthetics of the shop and keep the inside of the
pot from getting rusty.
-Nathan
On Nov 17, 7:53 pm, "Curran Copeland" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on my
> wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has a
> strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to harm
> the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an unpleasant
> appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
I don't know if this will work in the long run but top the water with some
oil. As the water evaporates, the oil should coat the sides of the pot,
leaving a barrier with might prevent rust. You might also try some rust
preventative paint type spray. They sell black paint for grills which
should hold up to the heat, not sure about the water.
"Roger Woehl" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I use dutch ovens a lot and the way I season them is to fully coat all
>surfaces with cooking oil then put it in the oven at about 500 degrees
>until the oil has been "burned" into a patina on the metal. It is as good
>as teflon. If you search dutch oven seasoning on the web, you can find
>more detailed directions.
>
> Roger
>
>
> "Curran Copeland" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:aWM%[email protected]...
>> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on
>> my wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has
>> a strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to
>> harm the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an
>> unpleasant appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
>>
>
>
Curran Copeland wrote:
> The kettle is about 90+ years old so I don't know if it was ever seasoned
> properly, I assumed it was and started using it to boil water. got rust.
> Can't keep it full of water because in the winter it boils out and in the
> summer it evaporates out. Boiled water in my CI bean pot a couple of time
> and had to reseson it before I could cook properly again , so I don't think
> the oil or grease trick will work. My properly seasoned frying pan is
> better then a Teflon pan but it doesn't like water either. The paint for
> stoves works great on stoves but doesn't hold up well to water. The only
> trick I have found is once the kettle is dry is to scour it out and fill
> with water, but it needs to be scoured each time it goes dry, a lot of
> trouble. So far the only things that seem to be workaable are a new and
> different type of kettle or plating the inside of this one. Any other Ideas
> that anyone can think of let me know, and Lew I will try the marbles and see
> if that helps any.
In actual usage, the kettle would have been dried between uses, not left
w/ standing water, hence the rust would not have sufficient time to
form. As you've noted, boiling water for sufficient time will remove
the protective grease in the pores of a previously seasoned skillet or
other cast iron utensil.
The only real suggestion I would have if you want to try to use it as a
continuous evaporator would be to use one of the zinc-converting
treatments on the inside to minimize the rusting potential. Of course,
I would then no longer even consider using it for cookware.
--
Jay Pique wrote:
> On Nov 17, 8:53 pm, "Curran Copeland" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use
>> one
>> on my wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter.
>> It has a strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this
>> doesn't seem to harm the humidity raising qualities of the water it
>> does give an unpleasant appearance and I would like to find a way
>> to
>> stop the rust.
>
> Typically you season cast-iron with shortening, or just by cooking
> fatty foods in it a lot. But if you're just going to be boiling
> water
> over and over I think you're eventually going to get rust no matter
> what. You want something that's not just plain old cast iron -
> something porcelain, stainless steel or aluminum. Check llbean.com
> for "stovetop steamer". They're specifically made for the task at
> hand.
A cast iron tea kettle may seem like a good idea, but it's 2007 and
stainless steel cookware has been around for the better part of a
century. I'd say that if the rust is an issue it's time to retire it
to decorative use or melting lead to make bullets or something else to
which its properties are better suited.
For the purpose at hand I suspect that aluminum would be fine as
well--a wood stove shouldn't get hot enough to melt it.
> JP
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
"Curran Copeland" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:aWM%[email protected]...
> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on my
> wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has a
> strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to
> harm the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an
> unpleasant appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
>
On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 08:51:04 -0600, "Curran Copeland"
<[email protected]> wrote:
If you wonder why you're having a problem with rust, go back 100 years
and research steam locomotives. Steam (and the production process
leading to it) is extremely corrosive. There are lots of pictures
around of the insides of boilers (not just locomotives) in need of
overhaul. They are not pretty. The battle against the effects of steam
on running gear was constant. You should expect nothing less with your
tea kettle.
I guess my suggestion (as others have) would be to retire it, season
it, and let it sit out for your conversation piece without actual use.
Find another vessel or method for humidification.
By the way, if you actually do use it occasionally for tea preparation
ignore any of the advice to coat the insides with WD-40 or the like.
Petroleum distillates are not considered "good eats."
>The kettle is about 90+ years old so I don't know if it was ever seasoned
>properly, I assumed it was and started using it to boil water. got rust.
>Can't keep it full of water because in the winter it boils out and in the
>summer it evaporates out. Boiled water in my CI bean pot a couple of time
>and had to reseson it before I could cook properly again , so I don't think
>the oil or grease trick will work. My properly seasoned frying pan is
>better then a Teflon pan but it doesn't like water either. The paint for
>stoves works great on stoves but doesn't hold up well to water. The only
>trick I have found is once the kettle is dry is to scour it out and fill
>with water, but it needs to be scoured each time it goes dry, a lot of
>trouble. So far the only things that seem to be workaable are a new and
>different type of kettle or plating the inside of this one. Any other Ideas
>that anyone can think of let me know, and Lew I will try the marbles and see
>if that helps any.
>"Curran Copeland" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:aWM%[email protected]...
>> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on my
>> wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has a
>> strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to
>> harm the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an
>> unpleasant appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
>>
>
--
LRod
Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite
Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999
http://www.woodbutcher.net
Proud participant of rec.woodworking since February, 1997
email addy de-spam-ified due to 1,000 spams per month.
If you can't figure out how to use it, I probably wouldn't
care to correspond with you anyway.
The kettle is about 90+ years old so I don't know if it was ever seasoned
properly, I assumed it was and started using it to boil water. got rust.
Can't keep it full of water because in the winter it boils out and in the
summer it evaporates out. Boiled water in my CI bean pot a couple of time
and had to reseson it before I could cook properly again , so I don't think
the oil or grease trick will work. My properly seasoned frying pan is
better then a Teflon pan but it doesn't like water either. The paint for
stoves works great on stoves but doesn't hold up well to water. The only
trick I have found is once the kettle is dry is to scour it out and fill
with water, but it needs to be scoured each time it goes dry, a lot of
trouble. So far the only things that seem to be workaable are a new and
different type of kettle or plating the inside of this one. Any other Ideas
that anyone can think of let me know, and Lew I will try the marbles and see
if that helps any.
"Curran Copeland" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:aWM%[email protected]...
> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on my
> wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has a
> strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to
> harm the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an
> unpleasant appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
>
Thanks everyone for the answers, I think my best move will be to find the
old enamel teapot I put up some where, put a few lose marbles in it, if I
can find mine, and retire the cast iron one for the time being.
"Curran Copeland" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:aWM%[email protected]...
> Does any one know how to season a cast-iron "tea kettle"? I use one on my
> wood stove to help provide moisture to the air in the winter. It has a
> strong tendency to rust in side the kettle. While this doesn't seem to
> harm the humidity raising qualities of the water it does give an
> unpleasant appearance and I would like to find a way to stop the rust.
>
J. Clarke <[email protected]>:
> For the purpose at hand I suspect that aluminum would be fine as
> well--a wood stove shouldn't get hot enough to melt it.
Unless it boils dry.
/Par
--
Par [email protected]
My prejudices are almost entirely directed against Stupid People,
and even then it's a really narrow set: those who could learn but
who outright refuse to. -- Matt McLeod